A blog to communicate, discuss, and advocate for the civil rights and important role Small Flock Poultry Farmers can play (and should play) in Canadian Society.
Small Flockers are on the side of justice & truth, and against privilege & power. Unfortunately, the more we compromise with privilege and power, the more we reduce the capacity for truth and justice.

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

OFPMC Has Been Asked, Will they Answer?

Ontario's Farm Products Marketing Board ("OFPMC") has been asked about the new farm gate chicken price method, and the openness transparency accountability of Ontario's Supply Management ("SM") System. Will they answer in a meaningful way?

This continues our inquiry on CFO's new system of calculating the farm gate price of chicken. See the previous Blog Postings:

I have asked OFPMC about their position on openness, transparency, accountability, and oversight. A copy of my email is available here. Hopefully, we will get their official answers.

OFPMC has a new Board Member, Joseph Dickenson, a beef farmer from Oil Springs in Southern Ontario (near Sarnia). As a non-SM farmer, will Joe breath new life into the OFPMC?

But wait, there's more. Of the 8 member Board, three others have their appointments expiring this year. Will the new appointees tip the balance?

All of these Board Members are constrained by the Act and Regulations. For the most part, it's the system that determines the outcome. Individuals tend to follow the rules laid down for them, whether the rules are right or wrong.

Only a few individuals will use their own thoughts and moral compass to do what's right. In that case, the government retains the power to terminate the appointment, and pick somebody else. Eventually the government's bidding is done.

Since the lobbyists, Big Food, and Big Ag. all speak loudly and profitably, the government listens to them, and the average citizen is often forced to take the crumbs from the millionaire's banquet. So much for democracy.

Small Flockers are the majority of chicken farmers in Ontario, but we are at the mercy of a handful of millionaire chicken farmers who set the rules in their favor.

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